gottalovepluto
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2014
This! 99% (it would have been 100% but I too did Badaling and was plowed over by like 90 year olds in massive Korean Tour Groups. At the age of 20. My embarrassment will never end and the amount of people made the whole thing suck.)We loved China. Visited Beijing, Wuhan and Guangzhou. One night in HK on the way home, so we only saw it for the hotel windows but views were gorgeous. Pollution in Beijing wasn’t bad when we were there. Loved Forbidden City and toured a hutong, climbed the wall at Badaling which wasn’t too crowded when we were there, mostly Chinese. Would like to see Summer Palace and a few other historic sites. There’s so much I want to see, I’d love to be there for a month Sadly neither my job or wallet will allow it. China is so huge and diverse, to me saying I’d never go back is like someone saying they’d never go back to the US after visiting one city. I felt like our trip was similar to traveling to NYC, Chicago and somewhere in Florida but we missed the whole rest of the country...
Warning: digressing into my China travel hopes and memories!....
Being from the CA Central Valley the Aug-Dec I spent in Beijing on study abroad pollution wise had nothing on what I’m used to. Weather was nice as fall came quick but cold by the end. Also cold when the government accidentally made it snow on Halloween but I learned cloud seeding is real and not easy. March however (I did a separate one week trip in March for a conference in college) pollution was next level. I wore full length boots under slacks and each night my socks were black. Throw-them-away-level black from the coal soot in the air. It’s been a decade or so since then and my understanding is they’ve cleaned it up some since. Still, Fall was a lovely time to do Beijing (just stay away from Oct 1, National Day is not particularly tourist friendly).
You MUST see the Summer Palace if you ever get a chance to return! It was one of the last places I went when I studied in Beijing for a semester and I completely regret I didn’t go there earlier so I could have returned every few weeks and just relaxed, maybe studied and basked in the beauty & calm. It wowed me more than the Forbidden City and the Great Wall actually. You just need to be in a chill mood to soak it all in.
There is so much more I would love to see in China! I did Nanjing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xi’an. I didn’t get to do a panda interaction in Chongqing so I’d love to go back and do that. I also want to see Harbin during the ice festival! And Yunan Province. I could spend a couple weeks exploring Yunan Province I have no doubt, it’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on earth!
Ack! You make me want to go back to China!! (Although I will be the first to admit it is not for the faint of Travel Heart, lol. I don’t miss you one bit squat toilets!)
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